10 reasons to visit Monterey County now
1. Folktale Winery
The comely 15-acre property formerly known as Chateau Julien has long been a landmark on the Carmel Valley Wine Trail for its French architecture, major winemaking machinery and sweeping grounds. Now it has a fresh verve, thanks to new young owners who remade the landscaping, design and tasting experience, which now centers on the big “wine garden” patio and adjacent atrium, lawn games and gourmet snacks. They’ve hosted both full-on concerts in the barrel room and acoustic music weekends for “Sip, Sample & Be Social.” Evolving monthly movie nights feature free popcorn and classic flicks, often to linked to local celebrities (hint hint). Music 4:30-7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 2-5 p.m. Sundays. Movies various monthly dates through December. Folktale Winery & Vineyards, 8940 Carmel Valley Road, Carmel-by-the-Sea, (831) 293-7500, www.folktalewinery.com.
2. Big Italian flavor in small Carmel places
While tiny new rustic Italian restaurant Il Grillo from la Balena family draws raves, another spot with similarly attentive owner-operators, small size, deep Italian authenticity and great wines opens any day now. Il Tegamino, Italian for a type of classic Italian pot, is the brainchild of restaurant lifers, native Italians and brothers Giuseppe and Salvatore Panzuto. They’ll feature comfort food the way their mother makes it — lasagna di carnevale, sformato di patate (a potato casserole of sorts), a meatball “bar” with six choices — and, whenever possible, daily fish spear-caught by Giuseppe himself. Opening mid-September. Il Tegamino, Court of the Golden Bough, south side of Ocean between Lincoln and Monte Verde, Carmel-by-the-Sea, (831) 250-5790, www.iltegamino.com
3. Philip Glass festival
Composer Philip Glass and friends bring prodigious amounts of spellbinding art, music, poetry, theater and film into this fifth annual installment. That includes a concert featuring poets Mike Gerry and Jerry Quickley, the best of Sundance Film Festival shorts at Henry Miller Library, a fresh crop of films from Mexican film collective Ambulante, a livescore performance of Godfrey Reggio’s film “Naqoyqatsi,” and Glass and two other pianists performing all 20 of his etudes during a Sunday picnic finale. Sept. 24-27. Various locations through Seaside, Monterey and Big Sur. (831) 626-3340, www.philipglasscenter.org.
4. Glorious whale watching
Few things on planet Earth can inspire humility like seeing a humpback whale breach or the world’s largest mammal,
the blue whale, crest the surface of the Pacific. The fall season brings more cold upwelling, which in turn brings the nutrient-rich plankton krill love. The big baleen whales kill for krill, which makes right now peak season for sea-borne observing. Recent trends suggest this season will be the best Indian summerfall stretch in recent memory. Daily September-December. Monterey Bay Whale Watch, 84 Fisherman’s Wharf No. 1, Monterey, tickets from $41, (831) 375-4658, www.montereybaywhalewatch.com. Princess Monterey Whalewatching, 96 Fisherman’s Wharf Suite 1, Monterey, tickets from $46.95, (831) 372-2203, www.montereywhalewatching.com. 5. California International Airshow Salinas
Simply one of the best aerobatic events to occupy the skies. The F-22 Raptor demo team leads the bill, joined by the Patriots Jet Team, a historic World War II heavy metal flight, six North American P-51 Mustangs, the USAF Heritage Flight and the Canadian Forces CF-18 Jet Demonstration. Sept. 26-27. Salinas Municipal Airport, (844) 647-7469, www. salinasairshow.com.
6. Make It Sustainable Weekend
The grandiose gala and the oneweek celebration have gone the way of the canneries. Instead the Monterey Bay Aquarium is stretching out its progressive food festival to last the whole year in 2015 and beyond, with jam-packed celebration weekends, on-the-road visits to pioneering sustainable food destinations, multiple dinners and star chefs galore. This particular two-day sequence includes a Sustainable Foods Celebration, the Party with Alton Brown, and a pre-party with chef Sam Choy and recording artist Anjali World. Oct. 3-4. Monterey Bay Aquarium, 886 Cannery Row, Monterey, and various other locations. Some tickets included with admissions; others start at $90. (831) 648-4800, www. montereybayaquarium.org.
7. Wild and Scenic Film Festival
This Ventana Wilderness Alliance benefit stars naked nature, spectacular scenery and heroes who take Earth stewardship seriously. As the website promises, “Festival-goers can expect to see award-winning films about nature, community activism, adventure, conservation, water, energy and climate change, wildlife, environmental justice, agriculture, Native American and indigenous cultures.” Oct. 3. Golden State Theatre, 417 Alvarado St., Monterey, $20, (831) 649-1070.
8. Momix: Alchemia at Sunset Center
A Sunset fall season loaded with Bollywood Masala Orchestra (Oct. 8), Reduced Shakespeare Company (Oct. 29) and Stunt Dog Experience (Nov. 7) gets its most phantasmagorical — and likely its most acrobatic — performance with this robust mix of dance, aerials, invention, humor, fabric and light all triggered by the theme “the alchemy of art.” Oct. 16. Sunset Center, San Carlos Street and Ninth Avenue, Carmel, tickets start at $49, (831) 620-2048, www.sunsetcenter.org.
9. Carmel International Film Festival
The indie film fest has game and gumption, screening “Precious” based on the Sapphire novel “Push” before it tore into the mainstream consciousness, and it continues with documentaries like Tom Burns’ “The Central Park Five.” Swanky receptions and VIP parties add polish to the grit. One of the big draws this year is composer Alan Silvestri, who anchors an evening of celebrating music in film and showing Robert Zemeckis-directed “The Walk.” Oct. 21-25. Venues throughout Carmel, (831) 625-3700, www.carmelfilmfest.com.
10. Big Sur Food and Wine
The annual festival that helped make the coastal community a fullblown foodie destination is back. Bring on the Gateway to Big Sur Gala, Magical Mystery Tours, Hiking with Stemware and a full buffet of gourmet engagements, set everywhere from rural fields to swank Sierra Mar. Yum and yes. Nov. 5-7. Venues throughout Big Sur. Prices vary. (831) 667-0800, www.bigsurfoodandwine.org.